Australian Open: Yuki Bhambri is third time unlucky

After two Australian Open first round exits, Yuki Bhambri fails to overcome opening hurdle once again. This time going down to veteran Marcos Baghdatis.

Yuki Bhambri against Marcos Baghdatis at Australian Open

The 25-year-old Indian qualifier was defeated by Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-7(4) 4-6 3-6. (Source: AP)

Marcos Baghdatis fell in the corner of his forehand side. There was nothing more that could have made the point more winnable for Yuki Bhambri. The Indian backed himself in a rally and forced Baghdatis onto his right on Court 8 at Melbourne Park.

The point still had to be finished though, as the Cypriot managed to get a weak shot over the net before slipping. And Bhambri calmly floated down to meet the short return, and set himself up for an inside-out forehand. With the entire court open to hammer a winner into – Baghdatis struggling to get back on his feet on time – Bhambri picked a spot in the centre, right at Baghdatis. The veteran got another weak return, and Bhambri smartly bent over to volley home, only for the forehand drop shot to crash into the net.

Had the 25-year-old won that point, he would have extended his lead in the first set tiebreak after already ahead with a mini-break. It could have pushed him further towards winning the first set – his first ever in three Grand Slam main draw appearances.

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Instead, Baghdatis was back at 3-3, and took charge to close out the tie breaker 7-4. And it gave the 32-year-old the momentum to then race away to a straightforward 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 win in the first round of the Australian Open. Bhambri entered the match as the only Indian among four to have reached the main draw after starting the major in the qualifying rounds. Earlier on Monday, when the ATP updated its new rankings, India’s no. 1 player had pushed up to 119 while Baghdatis, the runner-up at the 2006 edition in Melbourne, had dropped to 123.

On paper, it was to be a close contest. And Bhambri certainly did have his chances in the first set. In fact, the Delhi lad started the match by breaking the Baghdatis serve in the first game. It was clear that the former world no. 6 was not match-sharp. After all, this was his first match of the new season. Bhambri knew this. “He is coming fresh into this season, but I’ve had a few matches to find my rhythm. So I definitely have a shot,” Bhambri had said a day earlier. But he couldn’t capitalise on it.

Bhambri broke serve in the first, fifth and ninth games, and was even serving for the first set at 5-4. But Baghdatis broke back in the fourth, sixth and 10th to force a tie-break.

In Bhambri’s third appearance in the Australian Open main draw, Baghdatis was his best bet for making it to the second round. In 2015, he came up against Andy Murray and a year later he faced then world no. 6 Tomas Berdych. Baghdatis, meanwhile, had joined the tour after a torrid 2017 which saw him take a step down into playing Challenger events, and he is now ranked lower than Bhambri.

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But the Indian simply could not put a cap on the unforced errors, eventually finishing the match with 54. As the mistakes compounded, Baghdatis started playing safe, retrieving impressively, just keeping the ball in play and waiting for Bhambri to err. The match finished when the Indian put a regulation backhand into the net. In an affair that lasted two hours and nine minutes, it was that failed volley in the tie-breaker that swung the momentum in Baghdatis’ favour, as Bhambri’s challenge faded (he’d reach break point just once in the second set but fail to convert).

This was the third time in 15 Grand Slams that Bhambri had reached the main draw of the Australian Open. On each occasion, he’s had a taste of top-level tennis. It’s all a part of his progress back into the top 100, a barrier he had breached in 2015 when he had reached 88 in the world. “Qualifying for the first Slam of the year will give Yuki the confidence to make the breakthrough,” says Davis Cup captain Mahesh Bhupathi.

“I think he should be 75 by Wimbledon (July). That’s the level he is playing at.” Along with the experience, he’ll pick up 10 ranking points and a cool AUD 60,000 in prize money. And the promise of more to follow.